THE RELATIONSHIP OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER TO ADULT MORAL DEVELOPMENT

This study investigated the relationship of sexual orientation and gender upon adult moral development. A homosexual orientation was not defined as psychopathological, but as a naturally occurring variation of sexuality.;Hypotheses. Sexual orientation and gender will have a significant, differential relationship to moral developmental level. (1) Homosexuals will have a significantly higher level of moral development. (2) Women will have a significantly higher level of moral development. (3) Sexual orientation will interact in such a way with gender that lesbians will have a significantly higher level of moral development than homosexual men, who will have a significantly higher level of moral development than heterosexual women followed by heterosexual men.;The two independent variables were: gender and sexual orientation. The dependent variable was moral developmental level. Chronological age was the covariate.;Subjects were 125 female and 67 male undergraduate and graduate students, age 17-57. Volunteers were administered a questionnaire: a short version of Rest's Defining Issues Test; background data sheet with 7 point Kinsey Scale, Heterosexual-Homosexual Continuum.;Obstacles encountered like discrimination based upon sexual orientation and/or gender arouses cognitive conflict which can facilitate development. Kohlberg's cognitive developmental stage theory of moral judgement was the basis for the conclusions drawn.;The Relationship of Sexual Orientation (Heterosexual, Homosexual) and Gender (Male, Female) to moral developmental level (P Score) was examined with a 2 x 2 Analysis of Covariance. Age positively correlated to moral development, a potentially confounding variable. Age was controlled by statistically partialing it out, as a covariate, and by sampling.;When making decisions about moral dilemmas, Homosexuals significantly utilized Principled Moral Thinking, Stages 5 and 6, a greater percentage of the time than Heterosexuals, assigning greater importance to principled moral considerations. The Homosexual group was more advanced in moral developmental level (Rest, 1974, 1979). The Principled Moral Thinking Score clearly differentiated between the two groups on the basis of sexual orientation. No significant gender differences were observed.;While lesbians did have slightly higher P Scores than gay men, heterosexual women and heterosexual men, these differences can be solely accounted for on the basis of sexual orientation. When predicting moral developmental level with the P Score, sexual orientation accounted for approximately 15% of the variance, a moderately large effect size.